BEAUTY IN THE BEAST: A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF MEN'S SKINCARE ADVERTISEMENTS

Abstract

In recent decades, there have been rapidly emerging trends of men engaging in practices of beautification that are traditionally associated with femininity. This masculine identity, more popularly known as the ‘metrosexual’, typically refers to men who are concerned about their appearances and invest in expensive practices of self-grooming. As metrosexual practices become increasingly popularized in today’s media, there are also men who show interest in self-grooming despite lower levels of commitment to beautification regimens. In light of the emergence of such masculine identities, it is pertinent to examine the shifts that the concept of masculinities is undergoing. Through a multimodal approach, this study explores the meanings of such masculine identities, how they are being constructed, and what underlying ideologies guide such constructions in locally-circulated advertisements for men’s cosmetics skincare products. The data revealed that advertisers employ visual and verbal resources differently for the different groups of men characterized by their levels of commitment to practices of beautification. The findings also illustrate that advertisers engage in a range of discourses to normalise practices of male beautification and mitigate social stigma when promoting male skincare products. This study therefore provides a more nuanced understanding of the concept of masculinities regarding the relatively new construction of the metrosexual identity. In addition, the findings also offer insight regarding the effects of globalisation in Singapore in terms of the metrosexual culture, which has influenced the present ideologies of masculinities.